The Austrian billionaire admitted recent speculation that
the former Minardi team would switch from Bridgestone.
Mateschitz said both Red Bull Racing and the Faenza-based
junior team would wear French made rubber.

''We will have Michelin,'' said Mateschitz, who made his
fortune in the innovative energy drinks market.
''Bridgestone is a fantastic company and will for sure look
better (than in 2005), but the question remains 'when?' ''

However, he rejected the idea that the 'STR' switch was
simply about bringing both teams into the Michelin camp by
insisting that Red Bull is 'very ambitious' for the novel
Scuderia Toro Rosso project.

''We plan to turn this team into really something.''

Elsewhere, it is reported that Clermont-Ferrand based
Michelin was forced to accept Mateschitz's request because
of a mandatory FIA regulation.

Alonso kicks off
(GMMf1NET -- Nov.29) 2005 F1 champion Fernando Alonso took
the honorary 'kick off' at Sunday's Spanish first division
football game between the Getafe and Malaga teams.

At the Coliseum, where Getafe won 3-2, the 24-year-old
Spaniard - the first from his country to win the drivers'
crown and also the youngest in history - wore a Getafe
scarf.

Renault driver Alonso was also presented with a special
Getafe football jumper, featuring his name above a number
'1'.

The two year contract involves the supply of ten new trucks,
to be delivered in 'MF1 Racing' colors next year and used to
haul the M16 cars and equipment around Europe.

''Everything is starting to go in the right direction,''
said team principal Colin Kolles. ''We try to build a strong
future in F1 and this only works with the right partners.''

'MAN Netherlands' supported Albers, 26 - who will continue
to appear in 'MAN' adverts - as he made his 2005 grand prix
debut with Minardi.

Heidfeld back on track
(GMMf1NET -- Nov.29) After a three-month break due to injury
and probably politics, Germany's Nick Heidfeld returned to
the F1 track on Monday.

Following fourteen grands prix for BMW-Williams in 2005, the
28-year-old - who reportedly was struck by a motorcycle in
mid-September while recovering from headaches and neck
problems - emerged from Barcelona's pitlane in a V8
BMW-powered Sauber.

Heidfeld, despite a problem in the afternoon, lapped 28
times for his new grand prix team.

''I could hardly wait for this first test,'' the
Moenchengladbach born driver said.

'Quick Nick' said he noticed the difference in power between
the 900hp V10 engine and BMW's new 2006 V8 power plant.

He insisted: ''That's something you just have to get used
to. A positive surprise is that the engine vibrates a lot
less than I expected.''

After a $4.5 million upgrade of the facility, originally bought by
Arrows from British Defense and then sold to Jaguar, Red Bull's Ben
Agathangelou explained that the 'RB2' would continue to be tested in
the old Bicester tunnel.

''The new wind tunnel is commissioned but it's not ready for use
yet,'' the team's aerodynamics boss added.

''We are taking our time to understand it and you also need to gear up
the department to run a second tunnel.

''So we have expanded the department.''

The tunnel will be used to develop the 2006 car later next year, when
Adrian Newey is a fully fledged team member.

RB2, though, has been penned by technical director Mark Smith, the
former Renault man.

F1's TV figures take a dive
(GMMf1NET -- Nov.29) Television viewing analyst 'Initiative Futures'
has recorded a decline in formula one figures over the last year.

A report showed that 800 million people, combined, tuned in to the
nineteen grands prix in 2005 -- that's a tad over 42 million per race.

But a year ago, in 2004, the same report showed that 43 million
watched each grand prix.

There were 18 races in '04, so the overall count is up this year.

There are probably several reasons for the decline; Michael Schumacher
and Ferrari's lack of speed, for one, accounted for dips in television
viewing in the huge German and Italian markets.

Taking a chunk out of the figures, however, was the ill-fated and
disastrous United States grand prix, at which only six cars started
the race following Michelin's order for its teams to pull out.

'Initiative Futures' found that as much as 45 per cent of the pre-Indy
TV audience in America did not watch any of the subsequent ten grands
prix.

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